Abelia plant named ‘Abesrpras’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct variety of  Abelia  plant, referred to by its cultivar name, ‘Abserpras’, is disclosed. The new variety forms attractive light pink colored flowers with dark pink colored sepals. Attractive, medium green colored foliage is formed. The growth habit is compact and mounded. The new variety is well suited for providing attractive ornamentation in the landscape.

Botanical/commercial classification:

Latin name: Abelia hybrid.

Varietal denomination: ‘Abesrpras’.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The new variety of Abelia hybrid plant originated in a controlledbreeding program in Cochranville, Pa. during July, 2013. The objectiveof the breeding program was the development of Abelia cultivars withcompact habits and a range of foliage colors. The new cultivar wascreated by open-pollination. The female parent (i.e., the seed parent)was an unnamed breeder seedling (non-patented). The male parent (i.e.,the pollen parent) was unknown.

The parentage of the new variety can be summarized as follows:unnamed breeder seedling x unknown

The new cultivar was discovered and selected as a single flowering plantfrom the progeny resulting from the above pollination during August,2016 in a controlled environment in Cochranville, Pa. Selective studyresulted in the identification of a single plant of the new variety.

It was found that the new variety of Abelia plant of the presentinvention:

-   -   (a) forms light-pink colored flowers with dark pink colored        sepals,    -   (b) displays medium green colored foliage, and    -   (c) exhibits a moderately vigorous, compact and mounded growth        habit.

The new variety well meets the needs of the horticultural industry. Itcan be grown to advantage as ornamentation in parks, gardens, publicareas, and in residential settings. Accordingly, the plant isparticularly well suited for growing in the landscape.

The new variety of the present invention can readily be distinguishedfrom its ancestors. More specifically, the unnamed breeder seedlingfemale parent variety (i.e., the seed parent) forms dark green coloredfoliage and provides an upright to rounded growth habit, whereas the newvariety forms medium green colored foliage and provides compact andmounded growth habit. Moreover, the new variety can also bedistinguished from other similar varieties that are commerciallyavailable. For instance, the new variety of the present invention canreadily be distinguished from the ‘Raspberry Profusion’ variety (U.S.Plant Pat. No. 18,834), as the new cultivar displays a more compact andmore rounded growth habit than the ‘Raspberry Profusion’ variety and thenew cultivar plants are better branched, which require less trimscompared to plants of the ‘Raspberry Profusion’.

The new variety has been found to undergo asexual reproduction by anumber of routes, including terminal stem cuttings. Asexual propagationby terminal stem cuttings in Cochranville, Pa. since September 2016 hasshown that the characteristics of the new variety are stable and arestrictly transmissible by such asexual propagation from one generationto another. Accordingly, the new variety undergoes asexual propagationin a true-to-type manner.

The new variety has been named ‘Abesrpras’.

The new variety was first offered for sale in the “SHRUBS VINES TREESEVERGREENS EDIBLES” 2021 Star® Roses and Plants Catalog, which waspublished on Feb. 23, 2020 by a joint inventor or by another whoobtained the new variety directly or indirectly from a joint inventor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs show as nearly true as it is reasonablypossible to make the same, in a color illustration of this character,typical specimens of the plant and plant parts of the new variety.Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color valuescited in the detailed description, which accurately describes the colorsof the ‘Abesrpras’ variety. The plants were grown in one-gallon pots forapproximately five months outside at Cochranville, Pa. Plants werepinched once after transplant.

FIG. 1—illustrates a specimen of the plant displaying the overall growthand flowering habit—side view.

FIG. 2—illustrates a specimen of an inflorescence and sepals in thecourse of opening.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The chart used in the identification of the colors is that of The RoyalHorticultural Society (R.H.S. Colour Chart), 2015 edition, London,England. The terminology which precedes reference to the chart has beenadded to indicate the corresponding color in more common terms. Thecolor values were determined in September 2020 under natural lightconditions in Cochranville, Pa. The description is based on theobservation of plants produced from cuttings from stock plants and grownin one-gallon containers for approximately five months in an outdoornursery in Cochranville, Pa. Plants were pinched once after transplant.

-   Parentage:    -   -   Female parent.—Unnamed breeder seedling (non-patented).        -   Male parent.—Unknown.-   Propagation:    -   -   Type cutting.—Terminal stem.        -   Time to initiate roots.—Approximately 10 to 14 days on            average.        -   Time to produce a rooted cutting.—Approximately 21 to 25            days on average.        -   Root description.—Fibrous.        -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching.-   Plant:    -   -   Habit.—Moderate growth vigor and compact, mounded and            well-branched growth habit.        -   Commercial crop time.—Approximately 13 weeks from a rooted            cutting to finish in a one-gallon container.        -   Size.—Approximately 30.0 cm in height from soil level to top            of plant plane on average; and approximately 27.0 cm in            width on average.-   Branches:    -   -   Branching habit.—Freely branching, pinching enhances basal            branching.        -   Quantity of main branches per plant.—Approximately 3 on            average.        -   Strength.—Commonly strong, somewhat flexible and becomes            woody with age.        -   Size.—Length: approximately 30.0 cm on average. Diameter:            approximately 3.0 mm on average. Length of central            internode: approximately 1.5 cm on average.        -   Texture.—Viscid, densely glandular pubescent.        -   Color.—Young stems: commonly near Greyed-Orange Group 173A.            Mature stems: commonly near Brown Group 200C.-   Foliage:    -   -   Number of leaves.—Approximately 14 per unbranched lateral            stem on average; and approximately 196 per branched lateral            stem on average.        -   Form.—Simple.        -   Arrangement.—Opposite.        -   Durability to stress.—Moderate to high.-   Leaves:    -   -   Shape.—General: ovate. Margin: partially serrate. Apex:            acute. Base: rounded.        -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.        -   Size.—Length of mature leaf: approximately 2.4 cm on            average. Width of mature leaf: approximately 1.0 cm on            average.        -   Texture.—Upper and lower surfaces: smooth, glabrous, glossy.        -   Color.—Upper surface of mature foliage: commonly near Green            Group NN137A with indistinguishable venation. Lower surface            of mature foliage: commonly near Green Group 137C with            venation commonly near Green Group 137.        -   Petiole.—Shape: rounded, slightly curved. Length:            approximately 2.0 mm on average. Width: approximately 1.0 mm            on average. Color: commonly near Green Group 137B.-   Inflorescence:    -   -   Quantity.—Approximately 2 inflorescences per lateral stem,            and approximately 30 flowers and buds per inflorescence on            average.        -   Type.—Terminal compound cymes, self-cleaning with a            persistent calyx.        -   Fragrance.—Moderately strong.        -   Depth or height.—Approximately 13.0 cm on average.        -   Width.—Approximately 9.0 cm on average.        -   Rate of flower opening.—Approximately 2 at a time per            lateral branch.-   Flower:    -   -   Type.—Single, campanulate.        -   Aspect.—Outward to slightly drooping.        -   Bud.—Shape: obovate. Length: approximately 1.3 cm on            average. Diameter: approximately 4.0 mm on average. Color:            commonly a blend of near Red-Purple Group 68B and Red-Purple            Group 68C with near Yellow-White Group 158C at the apex.            Rate of opening: approximately 3 days.        -   Petals.—Quantity: commonly 5, fused into an irregular            campanulate shape. Appearance: slightly glossy. Shape:            narrow oblong. Margin: entire. Apex: obtuse. Length:            approximately 1.7 cm on average. Width of upper two petals:            approximately 4.0 mm on average. Width of three lower            petals: approximately 5.0 mm on average. Texture of upper            and lower surfaces: smooth. Color of upper surface when            first and fully open: commonly near Red-Purple Group 65D            with a blend of near Red-Purple Group 65A. Color of lower            surface when first and fully open: commonly near White Group            N155C.        -   Calyx.—Shape: rotate. Length: approximately 5.0 mm on            average. Diameter: approximately 1.0 cm on average.        -   Sepals.—Quantity per flower: commonly 5 on average. Length:            approximately 5.0 mm on average. Width: approximately 2.0 mm            on average. Shape: oblanceolate. Apex: acute. Base: cuneate.            Margin: entire. Arrangement: rotate. Appearance: matte.            Texture of upper and lower surfaces: smooth. Color of            immature sepals: upper surface commonly near Greyed-Red            Group 179C transitioning to near Yellow-Green Group 145C            toward the base; lower surface commonly near Greyed-Red            Group 180D transitioning to Yellow-Green Group 145D towards            the base. Color of mature sepals: upper surface commonly            near Greyed-Red Group 181B; lower surfaces commonly near            Greyed-Red Group 181C.        -   Pedicles.—Strength: strong. Aspect: erect with secondary            pedicels at an average angle of 40 degree. Length:            approximately 3.0 mm on average. Width: approximately 0.5 mm            on average. Texture: smooth, glabrous. Color: commonly near            Yellow-Green Group 144B.        -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Stamen: commonly 4 per            flower. Anther: shape is narrow oblong, versatile; length is            approximately 2.0 mm on average; and coloration is commonly            near Yellow-White Group 158C. Filament: length is            approximately 1.3 cm on average and coloration is commonly            near White Group 155B. Pollen: amount is moderate and            coloration is commonly near Yellow-White Group 158C.            Gynoecium: Pistil: commonly 1 per flower and length is            approximately 1.8 cm on average. Stigma: shape is club and            coloration is commonly near Yellow-White Group 158C. Style:            length is approximately 1.7 cm on average and coloration is            commonly near White Group 155B. Ovary: coloration is            commonly near Yellow-Green Group 145C. Seed and fruit: none            have been observed to date.-   Development:    -   -   Blooming.—Freely flowering under outdoor growing conditions            with substantially continuous blooming from summer through            autumn.        -   Lastingness of individual flower.—Approximately 5 days on            average.        -   Tolerance to disease.—Not observed to date.

The new ‘Abesrpras’ variety has not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions to date. Accordingly, it is possible that thephenotypic expression may vary somewhat with changes in light intensityand duration, cultural practices, and other environmental conditions.

We claim:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Abelia plant characterized by the following combination of characteristics: (a) forms light-pink colored flowers with dark pink colored sepals, (b) displays medium green colored foliage, and (c) exhibits a moderately vigorous and compact and mounded growth habit; substantially as herein shown and described. 